~ Where fingers tap dance…

Opposites

I have found that I differ from the majority in one important matter. Our willingness to follow/break rules are opposite to each other.

The majority consists of those who do things because they believe (with no proof whatsoever) that’s how it has been done for centuries. It’s our tradition, they’ll say. Our ancient culture. They’ll cheerfully and willingly accept every stricture imposed, follow complicated rituals whose origin and/or efficacy is still in the realm of fairy tales only because, well… that’s how it was done once upon a time. Not eating meat on certain days, fasting, marrying off children within caste/religion, not touching something or someone, not looking this way or that, and lots and lots more on similar lines are taken to ridiculous heights.

As for me: That things have been practiced for eons is not good enough reason for me that they be considered sacred and followed to the letter. (From About Moi). So, I question, raise my eyebrows, stick my tongue out, and at other times dig my feet in and plain refuse to follow without reason. On the other-hand, I try my best to follow the rule of law of the present times, you know, like those laid out to make life easier for everyone concerned, the traffic rules for example.

But interestingly, the same people who are such sticklers when it comes to tradition and culture will not think twice before breaking (or at the least bending) the present rule of law to suit them. They’ll jump queues, bribe government officials to get an out of turn favor (or to ignore safety standards), violate traffic rules blithely endangering the public, ignore signboards, and what’s more, and this is what makes me REALLY ANGRY, they’ll BRAG about their wrongdoings as if by taking these shortcuts they have achieved something really great.

No, you Addle-pated Lumps of Anthracite (Thank you, Capt Haddock!), let me take this opportunity to tell you, NO, you definitely aren’t anything great. And those of you who look at them with envy and try to emulate them, you are equally stupid. Phew. That’s a load off my chest.

//But interestingly, the same people who are such sticklers when it comes to tradition and culture will not think twice before breaking (or at the least bending) the present rule of law to suit them. //

Word.

Captain Haddock remains my all time inspiration when I want to give someone a piece of my mind. Maybe that’s why I alliterate when angry. Billions of blue blistering barnacles! Gaah!

Awesome post Shail! I am just like you in this matter, so this post struck a strong chord with me. I am strong believer of the thought that school curriculum needs to include a subject for critical, objective and innovative thinking. If we train our kids from a young age to question, analyze, debate and seek logical answers, it will lead to tremendous progress and leadership for this country – domestically as well as globally.
Your writing rocks!

From my perspective, I see some people are traditionalists in India and think that allowing critical thinking, questioning, analyzing..etc etc degrades “culture and tradition”, in addition to seeing some examples of children not being allowed to explore and interact with people from different cultures/backgrounds. In order to preserve you need to limit those concepts so that children don’t stray from their “culture and tradition”. Because if you influence critical thinking, they will want to change things and won’t do things that they don’t agree with it. You have to fit with society and follow the demands to be labeled as worthy. Thing is it’s already changing in India and I find it funny that a lot of people of older generations living outside India are stuck in a time warp and think India is the same and kids are growing up the same. They decide to move there and raise kids there and all of a sudden surprise! Explains why they end up moving out again.

About this blog

When my fingers tap dance on the computer keyboard the results are either some tongue in cheek humor, a verse, a short story, a rant or sometimes mere rambling prose that goes nowhere in particular.... You'll find them all. So go ahead, take your pick and be bored to death!!

I believe

"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.” ~ Cyril Connolly

The why

“I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.” ~ Joan Didion